Spirits of the space age : the imagined world of Brazil's valley of the dawn
Kelly E. Hayes
Bok · Engelsk · 2024
| Omfang | xii, 306 sider : illustrasjoner
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| Opplysninger | "The oldest and largest of the esoteric communities that dot the arid plains surrounding Brasília, the Valley of the Dawn (Vale do Amanhecer) is a unique psychic ecosystem: equal parts religious movement, enchanted city, utopian vision, and theatrical spectacle. Hundreds of mediums dressed in dazzling vestments gather there daily to perform ceremonies for healing and karmic redemption. They consider themselves the spiritual descendants of an ancient race of extraterrestrials originally sent to galvanize humanity's cultural and spiritual evolution. Founded in the 1960s by a charismatic spirit medium called Aunt Neiva (1925-85), the Valley of the Dawn synthesizes elements from Christianity, Spiritism, Afro-Brazilian religions, UFO beliefs, and esoteric philosophies into a space-age cosmology focused on healing and self-transformation. Over two decades, Aunt Neiva established a spiritual metropolis that today is home to over 25,000 people and the center of a global religious movement with more than 800 affiliated temples worldwide. Spirits of the Space Age details the Valley's historical emergence, placing it within the context of mid-twentieth century Brazil, and explores its "imagined world"-the imaginative and collectively shared representations that foster a common sense of identity, meaning, and purpose among Valley members. Drawing on extensive ethnographic fieldwork, it offers a narrative portrait of a new religious movement as seen in and through the lives of Aunt Neiva, her most important collaborators, and contemporary adherents. By presenting a more complete picture of the Valley of the Dawn, this book counters the persistent media representations of the Valley as a cult. But it also illuminates how religious movements respond to their particular place and time even as they situate themselves in relationship to imagined otherworlds and times"--
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| ISBN | 9780197516409
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